October in Dubai tastes a little different this year. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, The MAINE has joined forces with Berenjak for what might just be the city’s most unexpected collaboration, a ten-day culinary crossover that merges North American cooking with Persian fire.
Running until October 26, the partnership sees two of Dubai’s most distinctive kitchens swapping flavours, stories, and techniques. For the first four days, the menu took over Berenjak Dubai at Dar Wasl Mall, before moving to The MAINE Land Brasserie in Business Bay for the remaining week.
At its heart, this is a creative dialogue between Chef Mohamed Ponzo of Berenjak and Chef David Da Silva of The MAINE , two culinary storytellers translating tradition through flavour.
The collaboration opens with Tomato & Barbari, a union of The MAINE’s heirloom tomatoes and roasted garlic butter with Berenjak’s signature Persian mint oil. From there, dishes build in rhythm and boldness: the Tond Caesar Salad re-imagines The MAINE’s classic with tond-spiced chicken thighs and barbari croutons; the Honey Short Rib Hummus pairs slow-cooked short ribs with black chickpea hummus and mixed sabzi.
Then comes the crossover no one saw coming, the Koobideh Taco, where The MAINE’s soft tortillas and pico de gallo meet Berenjak’s tender lamb koobideh and sivri chilli. It’s East-meets-West with attitude.
The chefs also reinvent two comfort staples in a way only Dubai could: the Sibzamini Poutine, Berenjak’s perfectly fried sibzamini potatoes drenched in The MAINE’s cheese curds and veal jus, and the Soft Baked Cookie & Milk Ice Cream fuses Berenjak’s date-and-walnut cookie with The MAINE’s iconic white chocolate chip version.
Every dish feels playful yet deliberate, the kind of food born from shared respect and creative chemistry.
This ten-day event isn’t just a menu swap; it’s a celebration of Dubai’s culinary scene at its most confident, cross-cultural, unapologetically experimental, and rooted in community.
Together, The MAINE and Berenjak have created an experience worth every bite.
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